Do I need 2 UTH's? Need help ASAP

[WHYISPY]

I'm using a 10 gallon aquarium for my 2 and a half inch leopard gecko. I'm afraid the Zoo Med UTH might not be enough to heat up the tank more. I bought the Mini 4W one meant for 5 gallon tanks, is this not enough? I'm heading to the petstore to get the gecko itself. I currently have no lamp and I'm using slate rocks to better reflect heat. Should I get another Mini UTH and put it next to my current one to better heat up my warm side? Should I also get a heat lamp? Or should I get both? I'm also getting a infrared thermometer so I can check different locations around my tank without using 3 different thermometers. So should I just buy a heat lamp? or just get another heat pad? Thanks

 

[katie_]

Buy an appropriate sized UTH and you wont have any problems.

 

[Crewdog00]

I have both, I posted a reply to your post in the other thread regarding this issue.

Search Function...

 

[katie_]

I would not use both, that is not ideal.
Use a UTH thats made for a 10 gallon. Lights stress your gecko out.

 

[GodzillaGecko]

You should of done research before you bought anything. Made sure you had a list, checked it twice and then went ahead and did the setup. Sounds like you bought things blindly. I would buy the 10 gallon UTH, skip out on the UV light get a blue or red 20 watt just so you can view your rep without hurting its eyes. 2 hides and 1 moist hide. You know the drill and all that. I would of opted for the 20L gal over the 10 gal.

 

[WHYISPY]

You should of done research before you bought anything. Made sure you had a list, checked it twice and then went ahead and did the setup. Sounds like you bought things blindly. I would buy the 10 gallon UTH, skip out on the UV light get a blue or red 20 watt just so you can view your rep without hurting its eyes. 2 hides and 1 moist hide. You know the drill and all that. I would of opted for the 20L gal over the 10 gal.

I had a list prepared, I researched for many hours, I had friends who were breeders that gave me tips. The thing is, when you are about to get your very first gecko you get alittle too excited and overlook things. You begin to worry what's good and whats bad and that overshadows your choices. I'm sorry that I was too into my gecko. I just got back from 3 different petstores and I am using a UTH with Rheostat and a Lamp for when temps get too low. I hardly ever turn it on as my room lamp is enough. I just use it when my heater is on low during the day and the temps might spike that it would take too long for the UTH to heat up.

 

[GodzillaGecko]

Don't know I never had your problem guess some people just react different. And if you say bs I'll say not bs. I've had tokay's, iguanas, snakes, blah blah blah but I always prepared a tank a few weeks before. The excitment comes when I have the lizard in my hands. I'd switch the UTH for a better one. And maybe get a larger tank. That way the extra heat has more room to squeeze out rather then the confined space of a 10 gallon. Just my opinion.

 

[SC Geckos]

10G is fine for one leo. If you don't already have one I would pick up a digital thermometer. Just make sure that the UTH covers no less than 1/3 of the floor space and no more than 1/2. As long as you maintain the proper temps on that side of the tank you will be ok. Good luck.

 

[Crewdog00]

U should Only need one UTH unless you've got a crazy big tank.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Where are you measuring the temperature? Ambient air temps are not a concern... you need to have 88-94 degrees on the surface of the gfloor where the gecko's tummy would be on the warmest spot.

 

[connielp]

As Katie said earlier, you should just get a UTH for a 10 gallon tank. It probably won't cost you any more than buying a 2nd, too small UTH and an overhead lamp. If you've already stuck the 5 gallon UTH to the bottom of your tank, you'll have to pull it off; it'll probably ruin the heater but in the long run it's best to get the correct size UTH.

Good luck with your new gecko!

 

[mudskipper]

I have moved a couple of my ZooMed heat pads countless of times over the past few years I have owned them. They are still sticky and work just fine. If you're only going to move just a few times, it will be more than fine.

Heating is different for different people. It depends on your room temperature, the size of your tank, and your substrate. My room is between 69F - 71F so I use both a heat pad and a heat lamp. Being able to see my geckos at night is plus, too. You just have to experiment to see what works for you in your situation. The most important tool you need is a good tempgun to measure the current surface temperatures and work from there. If you need more heat, get more heat. If you have too much heat, regulate it with a good thermostat. But you should always use a thermostat anyway. The middle of one of my heat pads can get up to 140F!

My Exo Terra red heat lamps do not bother my leopard geckos. Just make sure you have plenty of hides and at lease one that is pitch black inside. One of mine, an albino, avoids coming out of her hides when the fluorescent lights in the room are on. As soon as they go off, she comes right out even though the red light is still on. Her eyes are fully dilated as if she's in the dark. My other two can be seen sleeping out in the open at night, and their 150W heat lamp is on almost at full strength (all my lamps have dimmers) 24 hours a day. Don't get 150W for your tiny tank though. LOL.. My big tank is a 44 gallon tank.

 

[Crewdog00]

Hey Mudskipper,

Do you put your UTH left to right? Or up and down like 12 to 6 o'clock position?

I have mine on the right aide of tank below. Going from 3 to 9 o'clock position.